How to Delegate Effectively

Many people, from managers at work to adults at home with a family, often fall into the trap of ‘doing everything.’ You may think that you can do the task better, or faster, than anyone else can. Or you may simply not want to impose on anyone by asking for help. You may even do everything yourself because you feel guilty if you’re not busy all the time.

No matter what the reason, working on overdrive can quickly swallow you up and lead to overwhelming feelings of stress. Not surprisingly, one-third of Americans are living with extreme stress, according to the American Psychological Association (APA), and 48 percent say their stress levels have gone up in the past five years.

With this type of mentality, not only are you at risk of major burnout, but you’re not working efficiently. Believe it or not, there are people out there who can do certain things better than you, faster than you and may even ENJOY doing them more than you do.

This is where learning how to delegate effectively comes in.

When you learn how to delegate effectively, not only does something get taken off your plate, opening your time to something more pressing (like taking a long bubble bath), but the task may very well get done with more gusto than you could have done it yourself.

It’s a win-win situation, so it’s a wonder why so many people resist delegating, and refuse to learn how to delegate effectively. If you fall into this latter category, it’s time you reconsidered:

Many of us find it difficult to delegate because we believe we are the only ones who care and who can do a good job. As long as we believe that, we expect that from those around us — and that expectation causes us to be constantly disappointed. This simply reinforces what we believe. We also sometimes believe that asking for assistance or getting help is somehow a sign of weakness. This could not befurther from the truth.

Fortunately, learning how to delegate is easy — once you get over your resistance to it.

If we allow ourselves to release the emotions that cause usto believe that we are alone in a hostile world, and that no one cares the way we do, we can find support all around us. You’ll also find that you can actually delegate tasks and allow others to complete them.

To help you release the emotions that are keeping you from delegating your tasks and running your life more efficiently in the process, learn how to release using The Sedona Method. Then, take action by:

Figuring out where you need help: Choose the tasks that you don’t like or aren’t particularly good at first

Selecting the people you’ll delegate to: Whether family members or business colleagues, there are certain people more qualified for your tasks than others

Telling the person the task you’d like them to do: Be specific about the task along with why you think they’re the best person for the job

Remember that when you allow yourself to ask for help it is actually a sign of strength and a sign that you are willing to allow others to be valuable to you.

-Hale

Hale Dwoskin

is the founder of Sedona Training Associates and New York Times best-selling author. Hale is an international speaker and featured teacher in “The Secret."